Australia Enjoy Twenty20 Series Win

Australia vs India is a rivalry that’s as old as time and one that’s become increasingly more intense especially over the last month. Australia has been a team that’s been in disarray due to some unfortunate scandals in recent times.

They have been struggling to recover and that showed after they lost the test series to India last month. Although, the T20 series has been a completely different story. They’ve picked themselves up and have put on some brilliant performances especially by some individuals.

The Favourites

India were the clear favourites going into the series due to the fact that Australia hadn’t won a series in 12 months and India had not lost a T20 series to Australia in more than a decade. On Wednesday night that all changed as Australia managed to beat India in the second and final T20 match which saw them take the series 2-0. India put up a tough total of 190 which was led by their captain Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, who scored 72 off 38 balls and 47 off 26 balls respectively. Shikhar Dhawan stay came to an end in rather controversial circumstances which led to a lot of debate. The opener was caught be Stoinis at cover or was he actually caught is the big question.

Glenn Maxwell

Television replays suggested that the ball had indeed hit the grass before the catch was taken but the umpires after a long review decided that it was out. India probably feel that if he had stayed at the crease that they could’ve put up an even higher total. Not to say that 190 was an easy total to chase, it’s actually an extremely tough total to get especially when you’re the visiting team, many might have thought that the series would end up being a tie. Then in stepped Glenn Maxwell with yet another incredible T20 performance for the second game running.

Aaron Finch Struggles

The big hitter had already scored a match defining half-century in the first T20 and led Australia to victory. This was the case again in the second and final T20. Australia were in trouble as they lost two early wickets, skipper Aaron Finch continued to struggle. Finch has now played 19 consecutive innings where he hasn’t managed to score a half century.Australia were 22/2 which meant that Maxwell had to step up and carry the team which he did indeed.

Three T20 Centuries

Maxwell took a liking to the Indian bowlers and proved why he is one of the most lethal batsmen in terms of T20’s. Maxwell smashed an emphatic 113 off just 55 balls and hit an incredible 9×6’s and 7×4’s as Australia chased down 190 with two balls to spare at the Bangalore’s M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.This innings saw Maxwell become the first ever Australian batsman to score three T20 centuries, surpassing skipper Finch who has two. This also makes Maxwell the country’s most prolific scorer in the format.

Perfect Timing

The series victory came at just the right time for Australia due to it being a World Cup year. They should’ve gained a lot of knowledge around who they want to pick for the show piece. The controversy surrounding the team has certainly taken its toll on the team, but they appear to be coping and ready for any challenges that lie ahead.